Magic and Technology

Devaia is a world in the midst of magical and technological revolution. Not only has steampower and mechanization become practical, so has arcane magic.

Arcane Magic Up until around fifty years ago in Devaia, arcane magic took several times as long to cast as it now does. Do to this, arcane magic was a rarity, and most arcane spellcasters were witches. Due to the rarity of arcane magic it wasn't seen as trustworthy or moral to use, and witch hunts led by divine spellcasters were highly common. Around a hundred and twenty years ago this attitude towards arcane magic cooled a bit after the church started losing influence, and the study of arcane magic became a good deal more common. About fifty years ago new discoveries in casting methods increased the effectiveness of arcane magic, and the study of arcane magic really took off. Some still vehemently oppose it's use, but it's become fairly common, and doesn't have the stigma it once had.

Energy

Currently, technology is Devaia is based upon the steam engine. With a little help from alchemists, who developed an alchemical compound that allows water to both boil at low temperatures and release more energy that it normally does, steam power has become the energy of choice. Alchemical oils, animal oils, and natural gas are also common energy sources, especially for heating, cooking, and lighting.

Transportation

For the average citizen, trains are the transportation of choice to cover large distances. Railroads link the vast majority of major settlements, and tickets are fairly cheap unless one wants first class treatment. Within urban areas, streetcars are the transportion of choice. Automobiles and motorbikes exist, but are a fairly new invention and mostly limited to the upper class. Horses and other beasts of burden are mostly seen in rural areas, and are being fast replaced by machinery.

Steamships and airships are both in widespread use. Airships are good for quick transportation across large areas, and many passenger airlines exist, but they lack a steamship's endurance and carrying capacity. Within military forces, they are mostly used for harrassment, scouting, bombing, and raiding. Steamships are used for most tasks involving large scale transportation and prolonged combat, as airships are ill suited for such tasks.

Food

Thanks to preservation technology, such as cannery, dehydration, and a couple of magical methods such as freezing, food lasts a long time in Devaia. This means that it can be transported over long distances and still remain fresh. Combined with alchemical fertilizers and new innovations in farming machiners, this has made all sorts of foods widely available year round. Most people living in the better off countries, and even many in the poorer countries, eat fairly well.

Communication

Cameras exist in Devaia, but the quality mostly depends on what sort of plate is being used. Nonmagical plates produce a gritty sepia image, while alchemical plates, depending on quality, can produce a sharp, full color image. These high quality plates can be a little pricey, but not prohibitively so. Small portable travel cameras also exist, but these use magic to store the images, not plates, and therefore must be brought to a spellcaster to have the images extracted and superimposed on photographic paper.

Telephones exist, using magic to allow sound to be transmitted along a telegraph wire. These are very popular, and most people can afford the monthly service fees to have the spells that make them work renewed. Portable cordless variants also exist, but are highly expensive, and therefore far less popular. A similar piece of technology, which comes in the shape of a large box that shows pictures and sound instead of transmitting sound and is referred to as a television, has just been invented, and, while currently the plaything of the wealthy, looks to be rising in popularity a great deal.

Medicine

Medical technology in Devaia is fairly advanced, with the necessary anatomical knowledge and tools to perform surgery being fairly common and both chemical and alchemical methods of fighting infections available. Severely injured people can very often be saved by surgery, and when they can't magical healing may be available from the local divine spellcasters or a witch. A wide variety of medications are also available to control disease and heal physical and mental ailments, though not all of them are completely effective. Psychiatry and psychology are two of the newest and least well defined medical fields. The importance of sanitation for maintaining health is known.

Education

In most of Devaia's wealthier countries, free public education exists for the vast majority of citizens during childhood. This is also true in many areas of poorer countries, but not always. Universities generally aren't free, but scholarships my be available. Literacy is virtually universal except in a few extremely poor areas.

Combat

Guns, mostly shotguns and revolvers (both pistols and rifles), are the primary tools of battle in Devaia. Knives and hatchets are available as back-up weapons, but combat generally takes place at a distance. The sword is rarely used excapt against enemies not vulnerable to the piercing damage done by firearms, and is generally only carried when expecting to fight that sort of enemy.

On the larger scale, airships are common for scouting, bombing, raiding, and such, and steamships for a plethora of naval tasks. Submarines are used for raiding and scouting. Armored vehicles support infantry on land, as does artillery, which usually comprises large barreled guns capable of shooting several miles.